Blackened is a word where the more you type it, the more it doesn’t look like a real word. I assure you it is. And speaking of real, this blackened chicken is REAL-ly DELICIOUS.

In my arsenal of super simple recipes, this one ranks close to the top. I’ve made this chicken every week since we’ve been doing the Whole 30 because I can prep and grill it quickly on Sunday and it’s perfect to have laying around as Post-workout protein, a salad topping for a quick lunch, or to chop into chunks and mix up with some homemade mayo and celery for a spicy Cajun chicken salad.

Simplicity, for the win.

Blackening is a cooking technique that involves butter, spices and a hot cast iron skillet, and is traditionally used for fish. But if you mix up a blackening rub and use it on grilled chicken, you evoke all the fun and flavor of blackening, but without having to stand in front of a hot stove during the summer.

Brine Your Chicken Breasts -- This sounds very fancy but it is actually really easy. Ever since I learned how to do this, I won't grill chicken breasts without brining. It makes THAT big of a difference. All you do is throw your chicken breasts in a gallon sized ziploc bag. Then in a pyrex mix ¼ Cup of Salt into 1 Quart of water until it is mostly dissolved. Pour the mixture into your bag of chicken and let it sit for an hour or two. Note: I keep my ziploc bag inside another bowl just in case it decides to leak or something. Chicken juice leaking in the fridge is No Bueno.

Liberally Sprinkle Your Rub Onto The Chicken. Then, um...Rub. Get a good coating on each side so it can get all up in your chicken. The brine gives you moisture and flavor from the inside, the rub is giving you a little FLAVA for the outside.

Oil Up Your Grill and Grill Out! Make sure to oil the grates of your grill so there is no sticking (pour a little on a paper towel, turn the heat down for a quick second, rub your grates, presto!) Grill your chicken breasts until they are full cooked inside (depends on the size and thickness of your breast, but I usually find it to be somewhere between 5 minutes each side with the grill open, and a few minutes with grill closed.)

4 comments to Blackened Grilled Chicken

Yum! I love blackened chicken, but for some reason thought it would be hard to make. (Or at least hard to get right — I imagined ending up with disgusting chicken burnt on the outside and raw on the inside.) Will definitely have to try this.

Also, even though I’ve brined many a thanksgiving turkey, I TOTALLY NEVER THOUGHT TO BRINE CHICKEN BREASTS. Um, hello, best idea ever!

It’s pretty easy, and we just use the leftovers on fish or shrimp or whatever protein we have laying around. It’s a nice one to have in the arsenal, and easy to tweak if you like it spicier, milder, more herby…whatever. Enjoy!